Aramaic word · H7187

קְשֹׁט

keshot

truth

Truth, what is right and reliable. In biblical Aramaic it occurs only here and in Daniel 4:37/34 ('all his works are truth'). The Hebrew cognate appears in Proverbs 22:21 ('the certainty of words of truth').

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

truth

Aramaic of qosh.te (קֹשְׁטְ "truth" H7189B)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 2:47

Range of meaning

Truth, what is right and reliable. In biblical Aramaic it occurs only here and in Daniel 4:37/34 ('all his works are truth'). The Hebrew cognate appears in Proverbs 22:21 ('the certainty of words of truth'). In later Aramaic (Targums) and Syriac ('qušṭā') it is the normal word for truth and righteousness.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT 'of a truth' keeps the 'from truth' idiom. BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB render it as an adverb, 'truly/surely'. All are accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 4:37/34, where Nebuchadnezzar again uses 'qəšōṭ' after he is restored. That later confession goes much further.

From the study of Daniel 4:37

Range of meaning

Truth, rightness, what is genuine and reliable. In Daniel 2:47 'min qeshot' means 'truly, in truth'. It is the Aramaic counterpart of Hebrew qosht/qoshet ('truth', Prov 22:21; Ps 60:4 [MT 60:6]), and the Hebrew idea it matches most closely is ʾemet, truth in the sense of being faithful and dependable.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT say 'truth'. BSB and NASB say 'true'. ESV and NIV say 'right'. NLT joins it with din: 'just and true'. 'True' can sound like 'factually accurate'. 'Right' captures the moral side but loses the sense of being genuine and dependable.

How it drifted

Modern English 'true' mostly means 'accurate, not false.' The Semitic idea of truth includes being faithful, sound and trustworthy.

Used elsewhere in the period

In later Jewish Aramaic (the Targums, early Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible) qushta is the standard word for Hebrew ʾemet. Syriac qushta also means 'truth'. Theodotion's Greek renders it alēthina ('true, genuine'), and the Vulgate has vera.

Where it appears

Daniel · 2

  1. Daniel 2:47 קְשֹׁט֙ truth

    The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”

    Here: 'Truth.' The king is affirming that the claim is really so. It is not a polite compliment.

  2. Daniel 4:37 קְשֹׁ֔ט [are] truth

    Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

    Here: 'Truth.' The noun stands where we would expect an adjective: God's deeds are truth itself. That means they are genuine, reliable and right, not only factually correct.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.